Runaway
by FallenCrimsonStar
Summary: Angry and running from her problems, Sakura finds comfort in a redhead stranger with no respect for her personal space. Originally for GaaSaku month 2013. AU two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

While this isn't from a prompt on GaaSaku month, it motivated me to finish it. Don't mind the slight angst and enjoy. ^_^

…  
**Runaway**  
…

Sakura kicked her bedroom door open, stormed in, threw her alarm clock out the window, and shrieked like the deranged teenager her parents often accused her of being. Images flashed across her mind, fuelling her rage and she slammed her bedside table against the wall. The level of destruction continued and she lost track of time.

Humping, grinding… rabbits making rabbits. It pissed her off! It was enough to make her sick! She'd thrown up twice, on the way home, but now her throat was too constricted, and hoarse from all the screaming.

What felt like hours later, the shock sunk in and Sakura dropped onto her bed, ignoring the now ravaged state of her bedroom. She was an idiot, a complete and utter _idiot_, and if the tears, shaking sobs, and gasps for breath weren't enough, she was crying over a _cheater_. They had talked about life after high school, about how long they were going to wait to get married ‒ Sasuke had even decided their first child was going to be a boy, and named after his great-grandfather, Izuna.

She was indestructible – a glorified, unmovable wall of steel against the fangirls and their spiteful, jealous taunts. But Sasuke was the chink in her armour.

And something inside Sakura snapped.

The pain started in her chest, ripped through her torso and jolted fitfully down her legs and she trembled, grabbing the door frame to keep from falling over. The overwhelming, suffocating feeling wouldn't go away. So she ran away – it was the only thing she could do.

By the time Sakura gathered what she could, and found herself at the bus station, she remembered her phone. The five new messages flashing at her dropped a weight of dread into her stomach and like an automaton, she methodically scrolled through them.

He loved her.

He would always love her.

He missed her.

He wanted her, and only her.

He wanted to see her.

Sasuke would be waiting for her either outside her house right now, or the school tomorrow. She couldn't go back there, not now. The memory of him between some bimbo's thighs, and her long legs wrapped around his naked body was burned into her mind and she didn't want any more reminders. Ever.

And more than ever, she needed that indestructible wall of steel. She would face the consequences later. The law abiding, people pleasing Sakura Haruno could go to hell for all she cared.

Sakura deleted the messages, and glared at her phone. She'd bought the damn thing with her own money, and it would feel wrong just to chuck it out. She needed a plan. Nothing came to mind. And so Sakura did the one thing she always did when she ran into a wall – backed up, veered off course, and closed her eyes. It wasn't really running away…

And keeping her phone turned off in compromise to simply throwing it away, she knew _exactly_ where she could go that no-one would think to look for her.

Suna.

…

Money apparently, was everything. People ate, drank, danced, and fucked for the shit. Never was there a crass comment truer than that. So Sakura had gathered what she could, pilfering her stash, checked the hidey-hole in the living room her mother didn't think she knew about, and bought her cheap ticket to Suna City, with money to spare. She had no idea what she was doing, having never left Konoha on her own before, but the sheer audacity of travelling hundreds of miles just to get away from Sasuke Uchiha had robbed whatever sense and sensibilities she had left, allowing her to just enjoy the freedom of it all.

The bus terminal didn't reek like she'd expected it would, and she was thankfully all alone until those low beams came around the corner and her dignity forced her onto the moving violation. She wanted to sleep during the ride, but was too wound up. There was a reason her friends and family would never search for her in Suna – even if they deigned to entertain the idea that she would skip town. She hated Suna. She hated sand. She hated lowlifes. And she hated irradiating heat. Konoha was not a sauna, nowhere near it.

Overall, Suna City _sucked_. Which was why it was the perfect place to hide for a while ‒ no matter how much she was dreading it. Memories of being mugged here a few years ago on a family trip when her parents had "lost" her in the casinos had turned into nightmares for the next six months. She was over it… kind of.

Sakura sighed heavily when the Suna City Bus Terminal appeared in her window. It was still late at night, therefore devoid of human activity. There were what looked like, a few hobos camping out here, but as long as they really were asleep, she wasn't going to let it bother her.

Map in hand, Sakura power-walked for two minutes to get to the next stop. There was a well-known shelter in Suna, for people who came to the city to disappear. No matter how reckless she was being, it was at least somewhere she could bed down without fear of rape.

The local bus stop had one occupant, clearly also looking to disappear into the background. She glanced sideways at him as she sat down – he was attractive, with dark red hair and from this angle, what looked like a tattoo on his forehead.

Weird.

The guy was wearing a hoodie and pants… in this heat? People from Suna were crazy. She had dressed down, preferring to wear her denim shorts and a white strap shirt; and she was still sweating. Sakura decided to ignore the man as he continued to smoke like a chimney and clasped her bag closer to her body, just in case.

It took a few more minutes for the boy three feet from her to realise that he was no longer alone, and he turned to look at her. Sakura didn't respond to his blatant staring, but noted in her peripherals that he was listening to an MP3 Player, and putting out the remnants of his cigarette.

"You got a smoke?" He said, startling her.

Sakura refused to look at him, shaking her head instead. "That stuff will kill you."

He snorted. "It can get in line."

She giggled, and looked over at him to find the strange boy smiling at her. She'd never met him before of course, but she had the sudden impression that he didn't smile very often. It illuminated his face mildly, outlining his face, highlighting his fair complexion, and making her downright giddy. She steadied herself, fingered the edge of her shorts self-consciously, and felt her face warm when his eyes roved over her appreciatively.

"My name's Gaara Sabaku," he offered.

She smiled. "Sakura Haruno."

"So, you don't have a smoke?" She shook her head. "Too bad – it would've given me an excuse to move closer to you."

Her eyes widened at the cheek in his voice. But even as he shuffled closer to her anyway, she suddenly felt safe. He was a complete stranger moving closer for no good reason, and she hadn't even reached for her Taser yet. Clearly, he didn't think he needed an excuse.

"Relax," he said, now leaning back against the bench, his arms stretched out lazily along the back, and sneakily behind her.

"I'm fine."

He just smirked.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "When is the bus supposed to get here?" She asked.

"You're not from around here."

That wasn't even a question.

"No."

"It won't be here for another hour."

She scoffed. "The buses in this town suck."

"Yep."

Sakura glared at him. He was happy about that, it seemed.

"You're safe with me," he assured her.

"I don't even know you."

"Then let's get acquainted, shall we?"

And he was suddenly, uncomfortably close. She swallowed heavily. "O-okay."

"What brings you to Suna?"

"Nothing."

He pried, she grimaced, and finally he paid her to divulge her secrets. It was good money too, and had her wondering why someone with this much to just throw around was taking a _bus_. But she told him about Sasuke, without naming names, and without going into detail. This stranger watched her, listening intently and scowling appropriately at the way she'd been used.

"Arsehole," he growled.

Sakura found herself opening up nicely, but when she asked him about himself, all he did was shrug his shoulders, mumble "it doesn't matter" and then tell her she was stupid for running all the way to Suna. She agreed, but couldn't go back there right now.

"They'll all be worried about you," he said, now dispassionate. "Trust me, more people care about you than you'll ever realise."

"How‒"

"Been there myself," he said, fiddling with a loose thread from his hoodie. "I had… troubles …and ran away too. But when they finally found me again, I realised I wasn't as hated as I'd thought."

He sighed, looking up at her. "You're beautiful, clearly intelligent, and kind – you don't belong in a lowlife place like Suna. You should go home, where you're loved."

Sakura stared at him. Where was her anger? If anyone else had told her that, she'd be storming, raging, and possibly breaking bones… figuratively of course. Naruto for one, was always saying something to incite her anger. She didn't want to hit this guy, which she supposed was because despite the fact that she felt comfortable talking to him, he was still intimidating.

"Here," he said, pulling out his phone when she didn't respond.

Before she could complain, he'd snapped hers up as well (she'd pulled it out of her bag to check her messages – and yes, Sasuke had left half a dozen more). While she didn't mind exchanging numbers with this stranger (how weird was that?), she protested the way he was manhandling it. But whatever this guy had for breakfast every morning seemed to be working. She jumped, grabbed at him, squealed, stamped her foot, and tried to pull his arm down so she could get at her phone. All a while he was chuckling, nimbly keeping out of her reach as he punched in his number, _rudely_ searched through her phone, found the contact labelled "me" (really, who _didn't_ forget their own number from time to time?) and copied her number over into his own phone.

"If you ever feel the need to run away again, I have a mansion you'll be able to get _lost_ in," he said cheekily, tossing her phone back to her.

She couldn't help but giggle nervously at that; what kind of lame pick up line was that? But he wasn't picking her up, just promising they can meet again, if she so desired. Sakura had never been on the receiving end of such frivolous flirting before and she _really_ liked it. She gazed at the illuminated screen of her phone before turning it off and stowing it in her bag again.

But before she could berate him for it, her attention was diverted by the arrival of a limo, of all things.

"I'll definitely be seeing you again," Gaara said, lifting her hand majestically and kissing it. She turned a distinct shade of red before he took it as some kind of permission and crashed his lips to hers in her confusion. He tasted slightly like sandalwood, but instead of being dry or turning her off, it was actually quite nice. The kiss was chaste, though he did lick her lips for good measure, and he pulled away before she could regain her senses and punch him – intimidating or no.

Gaara disappeared into the black limo, and out of her life.

She stared at the number on her phone for hours after that, her finger hovering over the 'call' icon of the touch screen, before moving away… and then back again. It was too soon ‒ she'd just met him after all. But she really wanted to talk to him again. Gaara, who'd been waiting at a bus stop for a limo… Gaara, who'd told her what she needed to hear without incurring her wrath… Gaara, who'd come onto her, exchanged numbers without asking…

She googled him. Call it a hunch. And from the moment she realised who he really was, she knew that she'd be seeing him again. After all, the youngest son of the richest man in Japan was well-known for getting exactly what he wanted.

…

**R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, never done a second chapter for a one-shot before, so be kind and love, love, love! ^_^

…  
**Runaway**  
…

Sakura's final day of high school started as normal: she ignored the whispers, the newest theories as to why Sasuke had dumped her for that bimbo… and the string of flings he had after her. Nobody knew Sakura had technically dumped _him_, since that's not what they wanted to hear.

People were stupid. They didn't care about the truth, only that Sasuke apparently had told everyone (once she'd returned from Suna – no-one knew about _that_ either) that he wanted to "see other people". It was a defence mechanism – guys did that to save face, for themselves. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to _care_ that Sasuke was being an arse, no matter the reason.

So she endured the rumours, the curious stares, and kept to herself. Even Ino was unsure what to make of her, and they'd been best friends since before she could talk. Sakura had wanted to reignite their friendship, since the one thing that stood in their way was gone now. Sasuke didn't want either of them anymore. And they were part way there.

They talked to each other without arguing now.

Most of the time.

So while her last day at this god forbidden school started out as expected, she found herself ending it in the strangest of ways. She thought avoiding the media room was the end of her academic problems; especially lately, with all the gossip surrounding one Gaara Sabaku, and she avoided it as much as she could. Apparently, people were saying he was either gay (because he refused to tell the paparazzi which of the bimbos his father had tried to set him up with was his _favourite_), or asexual (for not responding to the advances of some bimbo reporter). He didn't party ‒ only business ones ‒ and the girls that were lucky enough to be photographed with him were never acknowledged by him.

Sakura had jokingly questioned him on it, in one of their texting and IM chats, and he'd ignored her for a week.

Whatever: back to the point.

Her last class of the day was actually Modern Literature, and it was reminding her of the media room; the girls in her class getting excited, so much so that she couldn't relax. Again, it was the last class of her last day of the final year of High School, so she just wanted some peace and quiet while she pretended to fall asleep at the back of the classroom. There was nothing left to do now except wait for the bell: all her exams were finally over.

But the high pitched squealing from her fellow, _female_ students was becoming annoying. Ino was amongst them, gushing over something, and Sakura was forced to sit up, look over them, all bleary eyed and wonder what the big deal was.

"Ino!" She hissed, earning herself a few glares from the girls. "What are you doing?"

Ino hushed the students surrounding her, pushed them away, and returned to her seat, next to Sakura. They grumbled, shooting the pinkette dirty looks for interrupting them. She ignored them.

"Look," Ino swivelled, turning her phone so Sakura could see the screen, and what every girl in the class had been gushing over. It was YouTube; some interview Gaara had had a few weeks back, about expanding his company had turned into an argument where the female reporter had consistently tried to come onto him when he again gave the brush off about his personal life.

"What's so amazing about that?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Even _you_ must know about Gaara."

"Yes pig-face, I do. But I still don't get‒"

"He's fucking hot Sakura, get on board, will you?"

Sakura groaned as Ino pulled the screen away from her, now googling who knew what.

"Look," the blonde said a minute later. "This is what he looks like without that reporter slut hanging off of him."

Sakura wanted to look. Gods above she wanted to, but she always felt weird when the topic of Gaara came up in discussions or whatever. She wasn't very good at lying, but if she somehow let it slip that _the_ Gaara Sabaku had come onto her at a Suna bus station and exchanged phone numbers with her, she doubted Ino would believe her. Hinata maybe, but not Ino. Naruto maybe, but not Ino. And everyone else would just use the slip up to add fuel to their hatred ‒ while still not believing her, mind.

"Turn the fucking thing off!" She snapped, her eyes drifting to the picture of Gaara despite her better judgement. He looked… _hot_.

"And what's the matter with you, forehead?"

"Nothing."

Another lie she couldn't pull off.

Ino snorted. "_Right_, and I'm Mickey Mouse."

"You've got the squeaky voice down pat," Sakura agreed jokingly.

"Oh shut up."

Still, she _was_ glad no-one else knew. Gaara had been a comfort these past few months, since her return to Konoha, but their last conversation had left her worried. They'd been texting, emailing (you name it), and he'd sounded interested when she said she had to get all dressed up for a dance some guy in her graduating class (Kiba Inuzuka) was hosting. The entire school was invited, and not just the seniors. It was the last time she'd see any of these stupid idiots who whispered behind her back, stared at her in the corridors, and made their own theories about why she wasn't already engaged to Sasuke Uchiha. She wanted to look good and show them she didn't care what they thought.

Sakura had thought… had hoped… that she could show up with Gaara. It would be a hell of a way of ending her High School year, and showing instead of telling people, that she knew the heartthrob. But he was stuck in Suna, for business reasons, and his father was breathing down his neck.

Sakura turned away from Ino, and closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She really _did_ just want to fall asleep, but she'd always had trouble sleeping in public places. Her mind couldn't get off of Gaara.

"Ino," she whispered. "Have you ever been in love?"

"I don't believe in love."

Sakura snorted, not opening her eyes. "Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Believe it or not forehead, _love_ is not what makes the world go around."

"No, that would be gravity."

Ino laughed. "Well, I like Gaara; maybe _that's_ love."

Sakura opened her eyes and turned her head away, a strange, burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. "Why?"

"He's gorgeous, _that's_ why."

"I thought you said Sasuke was gorgeous."

"_Before_ he cheated on you with that skank, Mia, and dragged your name through mud."

"Right."

"Uh, Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"You don't _really_ have VD, do you?"

Sakura turned back to face her, pulling a face. "Give me a kiss, and we'll see."

"Gross."

Sakura sighed. "Do you have a date for Kiba's party?"

Ino nodded. "His name's Shikamaru, and‒"

"I know who Shikamaru Nara is," Sakura groaned. "I don't live under a rock, pig."

The blonde just shrugged. "And who are _you_ going with?"

Sakura stared down at her phone. At first, when she'd come back to Konoha, her nights had been spent wondering what Gaara was doing, trying to memorise every part of their conversation, and refraining from calling him.

It was probably a fake number anyway.

But still, she kept it in her phone, just in case.

And then he texted her a week later. She had no idea why she never told anyone; they already knew she'd run away, so what would it matter if it had been Suna? Gaara was her little secret, her raison d'être, and she wanted him all to herself. The only problem was, he was in Suna, and she was still stuck in Konoha. She had her bags packed however, and that all important decision on where to go for her tertiary studies plagued her for a while.

Sakura finally decided on taking a gap year; she fully intended on going to Suna, figure out where she stood with Gaara. Again, she was running away from Konoha, but this one would be done with more purpose. She had no intention of attending a University where any of the bitches at Konohagakure High School were going.

"Well?"

"It's a surprise."

Ino snorted as the bell rang, and they piled out of the room. "Whatever. See you there Saks."

Alone, and trudging through the corridors, Sakura scrolled through the contacts on her phone aimlessly, wondering if he'd come if she begged.

'_Pathetic.'_

…

It was just a living room; furniture had been pushed out of the way to make room for the dancing, and her bedroom could fit in here three times over, but it was still just a living room.

And she _was_ dancing, amidst the side tables and barely noticeable, Sakura decided to go to Kiba's party (dubbed "student sponsored dance" by its host) despite the fact that she was showing up alone and there was no redhead waiting to sweep her off her feet. A part of her saw the move as bold and capricious, while the rest of her was screaming to run and never look back. She was just adding fuel to the weird stares she got on a normal basis.

'_I blame Ino.'_

And as said girl swanned over to her, the familiar, pineapple haired brunette who'd asked her to the dance on her arm, Sakura hated herself for not giving into _this_ urge to run away. Ino gave her a knowing look, seeing her dateless.

"Shika," Ino turned to her date. "I'm thirsty; could you get me something to drink? And nothing carbonated?"

Mumbling under his breath, Shikamaru Nara complied, leaving the girls alone.

"I swear, he just asked me because he thinks I'm going to put out," Ino joked.

"Are you?"

The blonde shrugged. "We'll see." She sighed. "I noticed you're all alone."

"Yeah, but thanks for pointing it out," Sakura drawled, readjusting the straps on her dress. Her favourite colour was red, but she looked better in black or white ‒ the former being her choice of wear tonight. It matched her mood at least.

"Sorry forehead, but if you'd needed a date, you should've asked me for help: I have serious pull in the male population at this school, didn't you know?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No; how does that work?"

While Ino rattled on about appearances, flirting and something that sounded dubiously like stalking, Sakura's eyes found a familiar head of raven hair. Sasuke just stared at her, a mix between smug and indifference playing over his features. She turned away, effectively blocking her view of the ever-appealing exit. It was a few minutes of one-sided prattling from Ino later (and the pinkette was wondering what was taking Shikamaru), when said blonde cut herself off midsentence and squealed like a fan girl.

"Sakura!" Ino half yelled in her ear. "Look who's here! Can you believe it?"

The pinkette groaned. Had she just noticed Sasuke? "I don't _care_ Ino."

Scoffing, Ino grabbed her, spinning her friend to face the doorway to the living room. "_Look_! What do you think he's doing here?"

Sakura was more interested in _how_ he'd gotten here.

She blinked heavily, crimson flushing her face as all the blood rushed to her head of its own will. For an instant, she just stared at him, Ino's questioning running through her head. What _was_ he doing here? She inhaled deeply, holding the breath as he moved toward her; she let it out as he stopped, staring intently at her. His eyes raked her dress and she licked her lips. He looked good in a suit.

Gaara had told her he couldn't come…

"Hi…" Sakura stopped herself in time to keep from stuttering. Ino was wide eyed, gaping at them, in her peripherals, but she could care less.

Gaara smiled back at her, offering his hand. "May I?"

She nodded, now glancing briefly at her friend before following Gaara onto the makeshift dance floor. Ino was still standing, like a stunned mullet but fortunately for the blonde, all eyes were on the unlikely couple now parting the crowd on the dance floor and not the unflattering look of shock on her face.

"You look beautiful," Gaara said, wrapping his arms around Sakura's waist as her hands clasped behind his neck.

"Th-thank-you." So much for not stuttering. "I thought you couldn't come."

Gaara smirked, pressing their foreheads together. "Really, when did I say that?"

"But you‒"

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you I was coming."

Sakura gaped at him. "Oh my god you cheek!"

He made her think he couldn't (or wouldn't) make it, and then had the gall to show up and… oh who cared? She sighed and Gaara chuckled as she rested her head on his chest, just breathing in his scent as they swayed. She honestly couldn't care about the music. Sakura just wanted to close her eyes and listen to his heartbeat. She might've been drifting off, at least only mentally, and didn't notice when the song changed, along with the tempo.

Gaara stopped dancing, just staring down at her. "Sakura, I didn't come here to while the hours away, dancing."

She frowned. "Then _why_?"

He leant down and whispered, "To steal you for the night."

She inhaled deeply. "But will you still want me tomorrow?"

Gaara lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "I will."

"You can't know that."

"I do know that."

"But how can‒"

Gaara cut her off, brushing his lips against hers, hard enough to silence her, before tilting his head and ravaging her mouth. It was hot, there was no doubt about it, but Sakura was glad at the tenderness behind his obvious desire. She parted her lips, letting him in, and gripping his suit jacket tightly. She didn't hear the nearby whispering, not even when she finally pulled away, needing to breathe.

"Hm," she hummed, licking her lips breathlessly. "I missed that."

Gaara smirked at her, smug. "Well if a kiss can get Sakura Haruno _that_ excited, what would she do if I…" He shifted his mouth to her ear and whispered what he was thinking.

She turned beet red, her eyes darting around at the still staring dancers around them. Gaara drew her attention back to him, gently brushing her chin.

"I don't know what _this_ is," he said, waving his hand between them. "But if you'll let me, I'd like to find out."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Good; let's get out of here, shall we?"

Sakura giggled, taking Gaara's hand and letting him lead her off of the dance floor. But she should've known better ‒ Ino Yamanaka was not one to be dissuaded so easily, and four feet from the large, ornate doors that served as the front entrance to this oversized _house_, promptly stepped up to block their exit.

Sakura growled. "Ino, this is Gaara, Gaara, this is my former-but-now-reinstated best friend, Ino Yamanaka. She's also known as I-wanted-to-die-so-I-plan-to-impale-myself-with-my-best-friend's-heels."

"My _pleasure_," Ino purred, ignoring her new nickname... "So, where did you two meet?"

"None-ya, Ino-pig," Sakura snapped.

Gaara frowned. "None-ya?"

"As in, none-ya business," Ino supplied, rolling her eyes. "Mature, isn't it?" Sakura glared at her and the blonde just smirked teasingly. "How come you don't know that, you're our age, aren't you?"

Gaara smiled, kissing the corner of Sakura's mouth gently, making her blush. "I was home schooled."

"Excuse us," Sakura said, once she'd recovered. "We were just leaving." Before Ino could embarrass her further, she was pulling Gaara along, heading for said exit.

Ino watched them go, thinking.

"What was all that all about?"

Ino glanced over her shoulder at a vivacious brunette girl who hated Mia almost as much as Sakura did – whatever her name was. She was the true gossip queen of Konohagakure High School. Ino fought back the grin trying to work its way to her face, an idea forming in her head.

"Oh _that_?" Ino asked innocently. "That was the real reason Sakura broke up with Sasuke. Can't say I blame her – she totally traded up."

That should ruffle some feathers. Not that it mattered what people thought of Sakura anymore; Ino couldn't understand why and how Sakura had kept that man hunk secret from her. She waltzed off, looking for her date, as Sakura and Gaara left amidst whispers and envious eyes.

Sakura's heart was racing and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. It had not gone unnoticed by her that they were being followed by teenagers wearing formal wear and carrying an assortment of cameras and phones. She tightened her grip on Gaara's hand as she spotted the car he was proposing they leave in, waiting in the driveway.

It was a black limo.

"What do you say, Sakura?" Gaara asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of her tentatively. He was used to ignoring the flashes of cameras, of course. Baki, his personal bodyguard and chauffeur, exited the limo and opened the door for them. "Will you runaway with me?"

Sakura smirked at him, kissed him briefly (something for the cameras…), and returned the cheek in his voice. "Why Mr Sabaku, I thought you'd never ask."

…  
X X X  
…

And they runaway together... the end. ;P Sorry to go all cliché on you, but whatever. No matter how Disney that felt (to me at least) I liked it. I feel all special now. Mmmm… GaaSaku… ;)

**R&R.**


End file.
